Method of producing knitted fabric



w` REYNOLDS ET AL 2,146,852

METHOD OIF PRODUCING rKNITTED FABIC Original Filed May 7,y 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 14, 193%.

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Feb. 14, 1939.

w. BEYlwc'JlflmsA ET AL METHOD OF PRODUCING KNITTD FABRIC original Filed Mayy 7, 1956 2 Sheets-Shee-b 2 Patented Feb. 14, 1939 I METHOD 0F PRODUCING KNITTED FABRIC Wilfred Reynolds, Hucknall, and Frank Bonser, Thoresby Dale, Hucknall, England, assignors to Interlock Patents Limited, Nottingham, England Original application May "l, 1936, Serial No. 78,326. Divided and this application February 4, 1937, Serial No. 123,954. In Great Britain May 9. 1935 9Claims.

This invention comprises improvements in knitted fabrics and in the method of producing same. The invention refers to rib knitted fabric, and has for its main object so to construct such fabric that a finer gauge or closer rib can be obtained than heretofore without appreciably impairing or diminishing elasticity of the fabric.

The rib fabric according to this invention is of the interlock type having the stitch wales of one face directly over or imposed upon those of the opposite face. As compared with the usual interlock fabric, however, the improved fabric possesses increased elasticity, a more uniform texture and pleasing appearance and greater porosity.

In interlock fabric as heretofore produced the stitches appertaining to successive stitch wales are not in alignment across the fabric; in other words, the successive stitches produced from one thread lie at a different level from that of the stitches produced from another thread, and consequently also the stitch loops at one face of the fabric are not accurately disposed directly over the stitch loops at the opposite face.

Prior to this invention it has been the invariable practice to produce interlock fabric byknitting one course on alternate needles on each of two needle rows or beds and then knitting the next course on l the remaining alternate needles of each of said rows or beds and so onin. alternation. The resultant fabric consists of two ribbed webs withthe needle wales of one web disposed in the space between. the needle wales of the other web and having the sinker bars of the two webs crossing;A down the wales the sinker bars of one web alternate with the sinker bars of another bed in a' 1 x 1 sequence. In the fabric that is the result of the method and machine according to the present invention the sinker bars alternate in a sequence other than a l x'l, desirably 2 x 2, and the invention comprises a method of yproducing a rib knittedv fabric consisting of two ribbed webs with the needle wales of one web disposed in the spaces between the needle wales of the other and having the sinker -bars of the two webs crossing in which a plurality of successive courses of stitches are formed on the same alternate needles of each of two uneedle rows or beds, followed by a pluralityv of courses of stitches formed on the remaining needles of each of said said rows or beds, and so on in alternation.

The invention also inclules a method of producing the improved fabric as above on a rib knitting machine, said method comprising the following cycle of operations, namelyzfeeding thread to and making stitches on alternate, or selected needles of each'needle row or bed (the o needles of one row being opposed to thoss other row that are not so operated), thread to and making further stitches same needles of each row, feeding further to and making stitches on the remaining nate needles of each row and finally thread to and making further stitches last named needles.

This application is adivision of Sei 78,326, filed May 7, 1936, now Patent No, 2,

For the purpose of more fully describ nature of this invention reference will made to the accompanying drawings, wh:

Fig. lis a face view of a fabric constrl accordance with the present invention, th loops on the rear face of the fabric being smaller than those on the front face so thepurpose of giving a clear indication construction.

Fig. 2 is a section on the fabric on the lli of Fig. l.

Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 illustrate four successi in the production of the fabric.

Fig. 7 is aplan view of cams .for o1 cylinder and dial needles in the productio: improved fabric. In a convenient method of carrying out vention a circular rib knitting machine ployed having cylinder and dial needle each containing two separately operated needles, and the cylinder and dial needll directly opposed or radially aligned as in known machine for making interlock fabi Vantageously each separately operated needles in each needle row or bed is com; alternate needles, separate stitch cams f1 ing to operate the needles ofeach set in e: fier in such a manner that when one set i der needles is projected to take thread a duce stitches, one set of dial needles 'ii taneously projected between said cylinder and for this purpose the needles of on each carrier are advantageously long nee those of the other set shortneedles.

A' preferred method of producing the ii fabric will now be described. At the first long cylinder needles CN1 and long dial DNl are projected to take thread I and by their respective cams CO1 and DC1 stitches, (Fig. 3). At the next or secc the same needles i. e. the long cylinder l long dial needles DNI, take another thref are operated by the further cylinder s cams CC, DC2 to produce further stitch 4), At the third feed the short cylinder CNn and short dial needles DN2 are projected and operated by cams CC:i and DC3 to take thread 3 and produce another course of stitches (Fig. 5), and at the fourth feed the short cylinder CN2 and short dial needles DN2 are again operated by further cams CC* and DC4 to take another thread 4 and produce a further stitch course, (Fig. 6).

In this way it will be appreciated that two successive courses of stitches are produced on the long cylinder and long dial needles followed by two successive courses on the short cylinder and short dial needles. In the customary type of interlock fabric sinker bars or loops passing from front to rear of the fabric alternate with sinker bars or loops passing from rear to front in each sinker Wale, consequently there is nothing to prevent the stitch loops produced from one thread at one knitted course from taking up a positionout of transverse alignment with stitch loops produced from another thread at the next preceding course, and the stitch loops on one face of the fabric, therefore, are not disposed directly over those at the other face and the fabric is rendered less porous, i. e. less open. In the fabric according to the present invention, however, the formation of stitches on the same alternate needles of each set or row at two successive courses causes two successive sinker bars or loops in a wale to extend in the same direction from one side of the fabric to the other between bars or loops extending in an opposite direction and in this manner the stitch rows are levelled up, i. e.. transversely aligned, on both faces of the fabric and the stitches at. the front face of the Vfinished fabric lie directly and accurately over the stitches at the opposite face.

We claim:-

1. A method of producing a rib-knitted fabric consisting of two ribbed webs with the needle wales of one web disposed in the spaces between the needle wales of the other web and having the sinker bars of the two webs crossing, which method consists in forming a plurality of 4successive courses of stitches on thesame alternate needles of each of two needle rows or beds, followed by a plurality of courses of stitches formed on the remaining needles of each of said rows or beds, and so on in alternation.

2. A method of producing interlock fabric, in which two successive coursesof stitches are formed on the same alternate needles .of each of two needle rows or beds followed bytwo further successive courses, of stitches formed on the remaining needles of each of said rows or beds, and so on in alternation.

3.l A method of producing interlock fabric comprising the following repeating cycle of operations, namelyz-feeding thread to and making stitches on alternate needles of each of two needle rows or sets (the operated needles of one row being opposed to inoperative needles of the other row) ,feeding a second thread to and making further stitches on the same needles'of each row, feeding a third thread and making stitches on the remaining (previously inoperative) nee- `dles of each row and finally feeding4 a fourth thread to and making stitches on the last named needles.

4. A method of knitting on two opposed banks of needles which comprises feeding thread to spaced needles in both banks and operating said needles to produce two rib courses. feeding thread to needles alternating with the first said needles and operating them to produce two rib courses oppositely disposed to the first two, and so on in alternation.

. 5. A method of knitting fabric on two opposed banks of needles the needles of onebank being in alignment with the needles of the other, which comprises knitting a plurality of' successive courses of a ribbed web on spaced needles of both banks, knitting a plurality of successive courses of an oppositely ribbed web on spaced needles of both banks aligned with the first-said spaced needles and so on in alternation.

6. A method of knitting fabric on two opposed banks of needles, which comprises knitting a piurality of successive courses of a ribbed web on spaced needles of' both beds of which needles those in one bank intercalate with those in the other bank while the other needles of said banks are inactive, knitting a plurality of successive courses of an oppositely ribbed web on said other needles while the first mentioned needles are inactive, and so on in alternation, drawing the loops of the rst course of a succession thereof in each web through the loops of the last course of the preceding succession in that web.

7. A method of knitting on two opposed banks of needles,A which comprises knitting two successive courses of a rib web on odd needles in one bank and even needles in the other, knitting two successive courses of an oppositely ribbed web on even needles in said one bank and odd needles in said other, and so on in alternation.

8. A knitting machine having two opposed banks of needles for drawing loops in opposite directions, thread-feeding means for feeding thread thereto, means for operating selected spaced needles of both banks to produce a few ribbed courses of one ribbed web of which selected needles those in one bank alternate with those in the other bank, means for operating the remaining needles of said banks to produce a few oppositely ribbed courses of another ribbed web, and so on in alternation.

9. A method of knitting, on ,two opposed banks of needles, a rib-knitted fabric consisting of two opposjed ribbed webs with the needle wales of one web disposed in the spaces between the needle wale's of the other web and having sinker bars of the two webs crossing, which method consists in knitting a succession of series of ribbed courses, each of which series-consists of a plurality of rib courses knitted on selected spaced needles of both banks, of which selected needles those in one bank alternate with those in the other bank in a rib arrangement, and an equal number of opposed rib courses knittmed on the remaining needles of both banks, and, in

each series, knitting -at least two of the ilrst mentioned rib courses in direct succession to one another and also knitting at least two of the second mentioned rib courses in direct succession to one another.

WILFRED REYNOLDS. FRANK BONSER. 

